Growth
by Silver-Snow-77
Summary: For Lavilena 2k15 Day Seven: Growth. Lenalee and Lavi are relaxing and Lena gives Lavi permission to braid her hair, which is growing out well. Lavi is an awkward dork but Lenalee loves him just the way he is. Companion to Day Two: Confession.


**Well, this is it. The last entry, #7, the final piece for this year's LLW event. I speed-wrote each of these in a few hours each on the days that they corresponded to because I forgot LLW was going on until the last second, but thankfully I didn't do the shittiest job ever. Life and stuff had me working my butt off so posting the entires here and on AO3 was less a priority than tumblr.**

 **This is really short and self-indulgent. Cute and fluffy affectionate stuff like cuddling and hair braiding with a bit of Lavi being an awkward but loveable dork. This short is in the same Modern AU as Confession, and also First Impressions from Day One of last year's LLW event.**

 **Disclaimer: DGM and all associated characters belong to Hoshino-sensei.**

 **For Lavilena 2k15 Day Seven: Growth. Lenalee and Lavi are relaxing and Lena gives Lavi permission to braid her hair, which is growing out well. Lavi is an awkward dork but Lenalee loves him just the way he is. Companion to Day Two: Confession.**

Lenalee loved her hair. It was soft, smooth, thick, glossy, and straight, with the texture of fine silk threads when she ran her fingers through it. Her hair cooperated with her when she was brushing or styling it, and after months of growing it out from the pixie cut it had temporarily been reduced to it was finally long enough to style in various fun ways again.

It was her only real vanity, because while clothing and makeup could be replaced in a matter of hours with a trip to the store or a few clicks of a mouse, hair took a long time to recover from damage and was never quite the same afterwards. Her hair's loss was enormously upsetting to her after she had spent so many years maintaining it at its original length, and her brother and all of her friends had sympathized with her sorrow (yes, even Kanda, though he was reluctant to show it).

Despite her own love for her hair, Lavi was even more enthusiastic about the current length than she was, and he had practically begged her on bended knee for the privilege of braiding it. Unlike Kanda, Lenalee was not unwilling to give him permission, and the sensation of his calloused fingers brushing gently through her raven locks and weaving them into intricate ropey patterns was actually quite soothing. If she became any more relaxed she might just fall asleep here on the couch as she leaned against her boyfriend's chest, because for such a muscular guy the redhead made a good pillow.

The activity was really some combination of a scalp massage and a braiding exercise, and the comfortable intimacy was a beautiful thing to take part in. There were no expectations beyond specified non-sexual touches, and it was helping Lavi to feel physically and emotionally connected to her without agonizing over how his uncertainty about their physical relationship was affecting her. The cuddling alone was quite appreciated, but the feel of his fingers in such a sensitive place that received so little attention aside from her usual hygiene routine was divine.

Unfortunately, mistakes could and would still be made. Lavi's thumbnail dragged over a soft spot and made her jolt against him in surprise, and her boyfriend pulled away, looking surprised and then sheepish as he realized his mistake.

"Ah, sorry Lena! Did I hurt you?" He asked, frowning and shifting in place with worry. Lenalee smiled gently and shook her head, trying to communicate in shorter methods due to her extreme relaxation making her unsure of her current vocal dexterity.

"No, no, I'm fine," she assured him. "You just touched a sensitive spot that I didn't know existed before."

"Oh. Okay then," he said, but he still sat a few inches from her, looking contrite. Lenalee sighed at his behavior. A little accidental poke wasn't going to make her angry with him or deny him the pleasure of playing with her much-coveted hair, and Lavi really should have stopped being so cautious after years of friendship, but their recent change from friends to lovers was a matter that need adjustment.

For all his flirty tendencies, Lavi was not a 'player,' and this was not only his first serious romantic relationship, but also his first romantic relationship ever. Lenalee recognized that he was still new at all this and adjusting to the changes between them just as she was, so she wouldn't criticize him for having awkward moments. She crooked a finger at him, beckoning him closer before embracing him once more and settling herself against him.

"Please, could you go back to what you were doing? It was just an accident, and it was startling rather than painful anyway."

Lavi pursed his lips for a moment, and then he settled against her again and carded his fingers through the sections of her hair that remained unbraided, catching a few knots and carefully untangling the strands to avoid painful yanking as he went. The young woman could feel herself drifting into a doze again, and before long she was lulled into a light and easy sleep by the comforting sensation of Lavi softly stroking her head.

 **Well. This...was one of the shorter ones, but it ended on a positive note, which is what I was going for. I hope y'all liked it. Flames will be ignored, comments and/or constructive criticism are much appreciated. Bye~**


End file.
